Health Controversy: Is This Contraceptive Device Leaving Thousands of Women With Unwanted Pregnancies?

Imagine having your doctor put in a contraceptive device, like an IUD, that promises to keep you pregnancy-free for years, and then ... uh oh, you find out you're pregnant! This is what more than 500 women claim happened to them, and their surprise pregnancies are making other women wonder if these contraceptive devices are doing the job they promise to do ...

Have you ever had a pregnancy scare? Imagine the shock (and horror, even) of thinking you're covered in the birth control department and then, bam, you're pregnant.

Scary, right? That's what nearly 600 women in the UK say happened to them after doctors implanted a device called Implanon, a toothpick-sized implant that delivers the synthetic progesterone etonogestrel. Product manufactures say the device is nearly foolproof, providing reliable contraception for as long as three years. (ABC News reports that nearly 500,000 of the devices have been implanted in women in the U.S. since 2006.)

Some women who have sued the makers of Implanon have received compensation in the neighborhood of $200,000 for their unwanted pregnancies, and more are coming forward with lawsuits.

Yikes! Can you even imagine finding out you're pregnant after believing that you were safe? It's a reminder that no contraceptive is 100-percent foolproof, so be wise gals. Ever had a pregnancy scare of your own? Care to share? How do you feel about contraceptive devices like Implanon and other IUDs?